When providing television or video programs, to a user, bandwidth constraints do not allow for the current programs corresponding to all the television channels in a full channel lineup to be provided to a set-top box at once. Thus, only a single video program or channel, or a subset corresponding to a limited number of them, is provided or transmitted to a set-top box at one time. For example, a video program that a viewer is currently tuned to and watching may be one from a subset of video programs or the only video program provided to the set-top box while the program is being watched. When a channel change occurs, a video program that was not being provided immediately prior to the channel change event, or a different video program, may be provided to a set-top box. For example, when a user changes to a new channel (i.e., from a first channel to a second channel), a network processing device (e.g., a router or a switch) needs to switch from transmitting a first video program for the first channel to transmitting a second video program for the second channel. The new video program is transmitted from the network processing device to the set-top box in a transport stream carrying a set of multiplexed streams corresponding to the new video program that includes an audio stream and a video stream. When a new video stream is received, relevant parameters need to be received first and reference pictures must be received prior to the pictures referencing the reference pictures. If the set-top box starts receiving pictures in the video stream after the parameters and/or required reference pictures were transmitted, it cannot decode the received pictures and thus would have to wait until the next transmission instance of parameters and reference pictures. The set-top box cannot properly construct a visual picture during that time. This delays the presentation of the new video program after the channel change event and viewers experience an undesirable wait for the video presentation of the new channel.